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08/08/2009 - Watkins Glen, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcos Ambrose made a bold move on Kyle Busch for the lead and then held off the current points leader on two late- race double-file restarts to win the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International for the second year in a row.
Ambrose made his pass on Busch for the lead as the two headed into the chicane with 19 laps to go. Ambrose's maneuver forced Busch to swerve to the left, causing him to miss the entrance into the chicane.
"I knew I had to dive bomb him to try and get past," Ambrose said. "If I would have waited for the last 10 laps, he was going to do anything he could to block me, so I just tried to surprise him. I surprised myself because I got in there pretty hard."
Ambrose scored his second career Nationwide victory. He won a NASCAR national touring series race for the first time one year ago at Watkins Glen.
Busch fell to third after the incident, but fought off Carl Edwards in the closing laps to finish second. He has now finished first or second for the 10th straight race, surpassing Jack Ingram's 1983 record of consecutive one- two finishes.
During the cool-down at the conclusion of the race, Busch made a slight nudge on Ambrose's car to express his displeasure of the Aussie's move for the lead.
"I think it was a little aggressive going into the bus stop (chicane), but you got to do what you got to do to win," Busch said. "I felt it was a really late move, and if I would have went through there with him, I would have wrecked. So I had to do what I had to do to preserve my car and save myself."
Busch also tied Sam Ard's series record for leading a lap in 19 consecutive races.
Edwards finished third, followed by Kevin Harvick, the pole sitter, and Ron Fellows, a road course ringer.
Busch has now padded his lead to 212 points over Edwards.
Jeff Burton, Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Brad Keselowski and Scott Speed completed the top-10.
Robby Gordon and Joey Logano also had an on-track skirmish late in the race. Gordon leaned into Logano, forcing him to slide off the track and slam into the tire barrier.
As Logano attempted to head back to the pits, the bottom of his car erupted into flames. He quickly exited the car without any injuries.
Several laps before the incident, the two made contact several times before Gordon's front hood was crunched in, eventually causing a tire to blow.
<< Athletics place P Braden on DL
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics placed pitcher Dallas
Braden on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday, retroactive to August 1, with
a rash on his left foot.
Braden is 8-9 with a 3.89 earned run average over 22 st
<< Fire's defense gets another test against Dynamo
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Fire coach Denis Hamlett has needed to
juggle his defense all season, but the team's results don't show it.
Chicago, which lost the SuperLiga final to Mexico's Tigres on Wednesday, has
posted four st
<< Muscle Hill equals record with Hambletonian win
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Leading three-year-old trotter
Muscle Hill, sent off as the 3-10 favorite, easily defeated nine rivals
Saturday to win harness racing's marquee event, the $1.52 million
Hamblet
<< Suarez scores hat trick to lead Ajax over RKC
Amsterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luis Suarez scored three times after
the 70th minute, leading Ajax to a 4-1 victory over 10-man RKC Waalwijk in the
Dutch Eredivisie on Saturday.
Ajax and RKC were tied 1-all in the 70th minute when
Liverpool acquires Aquilani from Roma >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool has wrapped up the signing of
Italy midfielder Alberto Aquilani from Roma.
The 25-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Reds, having moved
for an undisclosed fee which is report
Harrington leads Woods by three at Firestone >>
Akron, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Padraig Harrington carded a three-under 67
Saturday to take a three-stroke lead after three rounds of the WGC-Bridgestone
Invitational.
Harrington, a three-time major champion, completed 54 holes at 10-
Bullsbay surges to victory in Whitney Handicap >>
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bullsbay, the longest shot on the
board, charged to victory Saturday in the $750,000 Whitney Handicap at
Saratoga Race Course. Ridden by Jeremy Rose, Bullsbay covered the 1 1/8 miles
in 1:48
Youngster Lee leads Jane Rogers Championship >>
Milton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Lee aced the 13th hole Saturday en route
to an eight-under 63 and the third-round lead of the Jane Rogers Championship.
Lee, 18, finished 54 holes at seven-under 206 and is one ahead at Greystone
Golf
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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